Lakenheath

Aldeeb · Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:39 pm

I upgraded my FS9 with a freeware download on PC Pilot's cd and to my astonishment there appeared to be no signs of the Hornets based there. I eventually discovered I was looking on the wrong side of the runway and duly found them. Does anybody know whether Lakenheath is split between the US Air Force and RAF with separate groups of blister hangars on opposite sides of the runway?

Welshflyer · Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 1:03 am

Sorry for the delayed reply Sad

, but i recently purchased a magazine dedicated to 90 years of the RAF and it lists all the operational RAF bases in the UK, and Lakenheath is'nt one of them, so it looks like it's purely USAF. Hope this helps?

Aldeeb · Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:23 am

Many thanks for your response to my query and interested to note that Lakenheath not listed as RAF as I think the practice has generally been for bases used by the USAAF to retain their RAF status with something like a Squadron Leader to act as nominal station commander. It was interesting to note that the PC Pilot add-on of Lakenheath concentrated the Hornets in shelters entirely to one side of the main runway leaving the opposite side empty. This could have meant that side was used by the RAF but in the light of the ongoing shutdowns of RAF stations (such as Coltishall) I would doubt this. To have two airforce groups sharing the same runway, circuits, ATC etc would sound undesireable too. I well remember driving across the end of Khormaxer (wrong spelling I think) back in 1966 just as an Aden Airways Viscount passed over me, hotly pursued by an RAF Hunter. The Viscount was just at the threshold when the Hunter came perilously close to a rear-end collision. That was due to the airfield having two controllers in separate rooms clearing simultaneous landings. I sat next to the involved RAF controller on the penultimate BA evacuation aircraft and heard the whole story!

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